U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,713 discloses an incubator wherein a resting surface is located on a lower part, and the interior of the incubator is sealed off by a transparent covering hood. The atmosphere of the interior, which is fixed in terms of certain prerequisites such as temperature, oxygen content, and humidity, remains closed off from the ambient. For performing treatment and nursing procedures, access openings are disposed in pairs, but because of the requirement for maintaining the interior atmosphere, these openings should expose only a relatively small acess area in the opened state. The requirement for a small access area of the access openings is in opposition to the need of having sufficient freedom of movement for the hands and arms of the person treating the patient, and for good accessibility to all the important areas of the interior.